Floating strip

Abstract

A floating strip has a cylindrical outer member having an outer channel extending therethrough and a cylindrical inner member having an inner channel extending therethrough, the inner member being retained within the outer channel. The outer member is more rigid than the inner member and has a greater density than the inner member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present utility model relates to a pool toy, particularly a floating strip having a certain buoyancy in water, enabling a swimmer to support his or her weight by lying horizontally on the floating strip. Background Art

[0002] In the past, there were some pool toys, such as those commonly known as "floating strips", which had a certain degree of buoyancy in water. Thus, a swimmer could support his or her own weight by lying horizontally on the pool toy (e.g., placing the pool toy under the swimmer's arm). The "floating strip" is typically a highly flexible cylindrical tube with a diameter of 4 to 7 inches and a length of 3 to 5 feet, usually made of open-cell or closed-cell foam with a hollow interior. Therefore, it is an elongated and highly flexible device that tends to wrap around the swimmer's body or bend into a "U" shape when used for buoyancy or water activities.

[0003] Most of the floating strips currently on the market are made of open-cell or closed-cell foam cylindrical tubes, and the hollow interior space of the cylindrical tube is filled with recycled product waste, which is basically garbage. The product waste is shredded into small pieces and then put into plastic bags. Then these product waste bags are stuffed into the hollow space inside the cylindrical tube. These product wastes are relatively light, inexpensive, and have a certain buoyancy.

[0004] Filling the hollow interior of the cylindrical tube with product waste is because it is not desired that the cylindrical tube be made entirely of foam (i.e., without a hollow interior). If the cylindrical tube is made entirely of foam, it will increase the cost and may not provide as effective a buoyancy effect as the cylindrical tube with its hollow interior filled with product waste.

[0005] Unfortunately, using product waste to fill the hollow cylindrical tube as a floating strip has a major drawback. Due to the uneven amount of waste filler in each product, the buoyancy of each product is uneven. In addition, when the cylindrical elastomer breaks during use in the pool, the product waste will scatter around or in the pool. Summary of the Utility Model

[0006] The purpose of the present utility model is to provide a floating strip that avoids the disadvantages of existing floating strips while providing an inexpensive product that can provide the required buoyancy.

[0007] To achieve the purpose of the present utility model, a pool floating strip is provided, which has a cylindrical outer member and a cylindrical inner member. The cylindrical outer member has an outer channel extending through it, and the cylindrical inner member has an inner channel extending through it. The inner member is held within the outer channel. The outer member is harder than the inner member and has a greater density than the inner member. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008] Figure 1A is a perspective view of a floating strip according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing its straight configuration.

[0009] Figure 1B is Figure 1A a perspective view of the floating strip, showing its curved configuration.

[0010] Figure 2 is a perspective cross-sectional view showing a conventional floating strip on the current market.

[0011] Figure 3 is Figure 1A a perspective cross-sectional view of the floating strip.

[0012] Figure 4 is Figure 1A a cross-sectional view of the floating strip.

[0013] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view according to another embodiment of the floating strip of the present invention. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0014] The following describes in detail the currently contemplated best mode of implementing the present invention. This description should not be regarded as restrictive, but merely illustrative of the general principles of the embodiments of the present invention. The scope of the present invention is preferably defined by the appended claims.

[0015] Figure 2 shows an existing floating strip 10, which has a cylindrical tube 12, and product waste 14 is filled in the hollow interior of the tube 12.

[0016] Figure 1A , 1B , 3 and 4 show a floating strip 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cylindrical outer member 110 and the cylindrical inner member 120 are shown together in the figure. The end caps 130 and 140 of the outer member 110 are sealed to be water-tight, and the inner member 120 cannot escape from the hollow central channel 150 of the outer member 110 while allowing it to float inside. In the final assembly, the inner member 120 is sealed in any suitable manner and occupies and remains in the channel 150 extending along the length of the outer member 110. The channel 150 can be regarded as an outer channel. The end caps 130 and 140 can be sealed with glue as circular foam caps and patches.

[0017] The outer member 110 can be made of rubber or foam. If rubber is used, it can be NBR (nitrile butadiene rubber).

[0018] Foam is a lightweight and versatile polymeric substrate. Foam substrates, such as plastics or polyurethanes, are "foamed" in a molten state and then cooled, filling the material with countless small air bubbles, giving it an appearance similar to a sponge. Foams are generally divided into two categories: open-cell and closed-cell. In closed-cell foams, each small air sac or bubble is completely surrounded by thin walls. Closed-cell foams are ideal for the present utility model because they tend to limit water absorption, which often increases weight and reduces the buoyancy of the device in an aquatic environment. In open-cell foams, the individual pores are interconnected and more prone to water absorption. However, the water absorption of both types of foams can be adjusted by regulating the size of the individual pores or bubbles and / or coating the exposed surface of the external foam material with a coating. Such adjustment is obvious to those skilled in the field of foam production.

[0019] Foams generally resist excessive water absorption and harsh pool chemicals and have good tear resistance, tensile strength, and elasticity, enabling the outer member 110 to withstand bending, twisting, and abuse. Additionally, similar lightweight, buoyant foams or foam-like materials can also be used to manufacture the outer member, which is obvious to those skilled in the art. If foam is used instead of rubber, the material of the outer member 110 can suitably be closed-cell polyethylene foam.

[0020] In an exemplary embodiment, the outer member 110 is made of NBR (nitrile butadiene rubber) and has an outer diameter 112 of approximately 13 cm to 16 cm (preferably 14 cm) and a length 114 of approximately 91 cm to 152 cm (preferably approximately 117 cm).

[0021] The length 114 of the outer member 110 is much greater than the outer diameter 112 of the outer member 110. For example, the lengths of the inner and outer members can each be in the range of approximately 117 - 140 cm. Additionally, Figure 4 The relative relationship between the diameter 152 of the channel 150 of the outer member 110 and the outer diameter 112 of the outer member 110 is shown. The diameter 152 of the channel 150 can range from 8 cm to 11 cm (preferably 9.5 cm).

[0022] See Figure 5 , which shows another embodiment of the present utility model, where the outer member 110 has a fan-shaped outer surface 200 instead of a circular outer surface. Thus, this Figure 5 shows that the cross-sectional shape of the exterior of the outer member 110 does not have to be the same as the cross-sectional shape of its inner channel 150, although it may be the case in some instances.

[0023] Although it is obvious that the acceptable value ranges for the diameter 152 of the channel 150 and the outer diameter 112 of the outer member 110 are quite wide, the suitable ratio of the outer diameter 112 to the inner diameter 152 is greater than about 1.4 to 1.75 times. For example, the outer diameter 112 and the inner diameter 152 can be 14 cm:10 cm to 16 cm:9 cm. Similarly, the diameter 152 is slightly larger than the outer diameter 122 of the inner member 120, so that the inner member 120 can be slidably held within the hollow channel 150. This can be seen from Figure 3 and Figure 4 wherein the inner diameter of the outer member 110 (i.e., the diameter 152) is slightly larger than the outer diameter 122 of the inner member 120, so there is a gap 160 between the outer surface of the inner member 120 and the inner surface of the outer member 110. The gap 160 is preferably between 0.1 cm and 1.5 cm. Thus, the outer diameter 112 of the outer member 110 is substantially larger than the diameter 152 of the channel 150. The thickness of the wall of the outer member 110 is in the range of 1 cm to 4 cm.

[0024] The inner member 120 is best shown in Figures 3-4 The inner member 120 is 5.0 cm to 7.5 cm shorter than the outer member 110. Like the outer member 110, the length of the inner member 120 is much greater than its diameter 122. The outer diameter 122 of the inner member 120 is larger than its inner diameter 126. This allows the wall thickness of the inner member 120 to be greater than, less than, or approximately equal to the wall thickness of the outer member 110. The typical thickness value of the wall of the inner member 120 is about 1 cm to 4 cm. However, as long as the inner member 120 maintains positive buoyancy when watertight, the wall of the inner member 120 can have various thicknesses. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the inner member 120 can be cylindrical or any one of many other shapes (i.e., hexagonal, elliptical, square, etc.) without affecting the utility of the present application. In terms of cost, from a production perspective, the selected shape is preferably cylindrical. The inner member 120 has a channel 128, and the diameter 126 of the channel 128 is in the range of 2 cm to 4 cm. The channel 128 can be regarded as an inner channel.

[0025] The inner member 120 can be made of a variety of materials as long as it can provide the necessary buoyancy, and preferably, the same foam material or rubber used for the inner member 120 is also used for the outer member 110.

[0026] As a further example of the dimensions of the various elements applicable to the floating strip 100, the following are the applicable ratios:

[0027] The diameter ratio of 112 to 122 is about 1:1.5 to 1:1.75;

[0028] The diameter ratio of 112 to 152 is about 1:1.4 to 1:1.75;

[0029] The diameter ratio of 152 to 126 is about 1:2.5;

[0030] The thickness ratio range of 120 to 110 is about 0.25:1 to 1:1 to 1:4.

[0031] The outer member 110 and the inner member 120 should have different densities. Preferably, the density of the outer member 110 is greater than that of the inner member 120. For example, the density of the outer member 110 can be in the range of 55 to 75 kg / m 3 (preferably about 65 kg / m 3 ), and the density of the inner member 120 can be 35 to 50 kg / m 3 (preferably about 45 kg / m 3 ). In addition, the rigidity of the outer member 110 is preferably greater than that of the inner member 120.

[0032] The gap 160 between the inner member 120 and the outer member 110 is very important because an air space is required to insert the inner member 120 into the channel 150. The air space can also provide better buoyancy or buffer the impact force for the floating strip 100.

[0033] In addition, the outer surface of the outer member 110 has a vinyl waterproof coating to protect the outer surface and provide better comfort for the user.

[0034] The floating strip 100 also has a molded contour pattern on the surface of the outer member 110 to provide better grip and better comfort.

[0035] Although the above description relates to specific embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that many modifications can be made without departing from its spirit. The appended claims are intended to cover modifications that fall within the true scope and spirit of the present application.

Claims

1. A floating strip, characterized in that: include: a cylindrical outer member having an outer passage extending therethrough; a cylindrical inner member having an inner passage extending therethrough, said inner member being retained within said outer passage; and Wherein, the outer component is more rigid than the inner component.

2. The floating strip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer member has a density greater than that of the inner member.

3. The floating strip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer member has an inner surface defining the outer channel, and a gap is defined in the outer channel between the inner surface of the outer channel and the inner member.

4. The floating strip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer member has a length and a diameter, wherein the length is significantly greater than the diameter.

5. The floating strip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer member is made of rubber.

6. The floating strip according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner member is made of rubber.

7. The floating strip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The density of the outer member is between 55 and 75 kg / m 3 In the range of 35 to 50 kg / m 3 within the range.

8. The floating strip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer member and the inner member have the same thickness.

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